CompTIA DataSys+ (DS0-001)Business ContinuityHard
A company is evaluating disaster recovery solutions for its primary database. The business requires the ability to switch to a fully functional replica database in a secondary data center with minimal data loss (RPO < 5 minutes) and a recovery time of less than 1 hour (RTO < 1 hour). Which combination of replication and high-availability features would best meet these objectives?
- ASynchronous replication with manual failover.
- BDaily full backups to tape and manual restoration.
- CLog shipping with hourly log backups and a manual standby activation.
- DAsynchronous replication with automatic failover.
Show answer & explanationAnswer & explanation
Correct answer: D. Asynchronous replication with automatic failover.
An RPO of less than 5 minutes and RTO of less than 1 hour points towards a real-time or near real-time replication strategy with automated failover. Asynchronous replication can achieve a low RPO (often in seconds to minutes) by continuously sending transactions to a replica, and automatic failover mechanisms ensure the RTO is met without manual intervention, minimizing downtime.
Why the other options are wrong
- A. Synchronous replication would achieve RPO=0, which exceeds the requirement but introduces higher latency. However, manual failover would likely violate the RTO < 1 hour requirement due to human intervention time.
- B. Daily full backups and manual restoration would result in an RPO of 24 hours and a very high RTO, not meeting the requirements.
- C. Log shipping with hourly backups would result in an RPO of up to 1 hour, which might barely meet the < 5 minute requirement (depending on the exact timing), but manual standby activation would likely violate the RTO < 1 hour due to human intervention.
Low RPO/RTO Solutions
Achieving low RPO (minimal data loss) and low RTO (minimal downtime) typically requires continuous data replication combined with automated failover mechanisms.
- RPO < 5 min, RTO < 1 hour are demanding.
- Backups alone are insufficient for these targets.
- Asynchronous replication with automation is a common solution.
Memory trick: Low RPO/RTO needs Active replication and Auto-failover.